Loveday Writing

The brief of the AWC Furious Fiction – April 2026 short story competition was as follows:

• Your story must take place UNDERGROUND.
• Your story’s first and last sentences had to be questions.
• Your story had to include the following words: FOUR, SHARP, TAIL, YAWN (longer variations were allowed)

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The Sandman’s Factory Tour

Are you enjoying the tour of my factory?

I’m the Sandman, most people think I bring them dreams by sprinkling sleep-inducing sand into their eyes as they yawn for the final time of that day. In reality, like any other product that needs to be manufactured, I need a factory, underground.

My factory’s underground as I, nor my work (and that of my fellow Sandmen) can be seen by others. My work is tailored-made to each person, with each dream filled with sharp, accurate, and meticulous details.

Most people also think that the Sandman is one person, but in reality, there are four – one for each corner of the globe. My Sandmen for the South and West corners are on duty now as it’s night time for them. I cover for the North, and my Sandman for the East work in the factory during the day for our night shift.

As the sun is beginning to set, we’re officially reaching the tail-end of our tour.

Do you have any questions?